


treble clef

by dunradio



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Anxiety, Drums, Eventual Smut, M/M, Shy Tyler, Slow Updates, also posted on Wattpad, i feel like i swerved bad on a chapter, im sorry im weak, josh is bi, josh is like a fuckboy i guess, josh is like the 'send nudes ;)', josh tops!, joshler - Freeform, like swearing, tyler plays violIN, tylers in orchestra, tylers small and quiet okAy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:36:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7351900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dunradio/pseuds/dunradio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><br/>tyler is in orchestra.<br/>tyler only really cares about music and being the best.<br/>josh only really cares about messing around.<br/>josh can't help but want to make the violin boy his.<br/><br/>intended lowercase. also posted on wattpad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. treble clef

///

just some general info before we begin!! (do people do this here? i came from wattpad yikes)

 **tyler:** shy, (usually) quiet kid devoted to orchestra and playing his violin. he's one of the best players and has received scholarships and invitations to schools and camps. tyler loves his violin and practices all the time. he's really defensive about orchestra.

**josh:** loud and popular in school. basically he's that guy that's popular for no reason. he always has different people on him each week or so. he just likes messing around he's the version of "haha and then what;)"

tyler and josh are going to be set around 17 and 18 years old in this, and tyler will be an only child.

josh will have red hair bc Edgy™ am i rite?? he won't have any of his tattoos, but the his nose ring/tunnels(gauges) will be there. just think of him as some wannabe tough kid lol

tyler's gonna be pretty soft and small just think of him with his amazing fluffy hair that he always cuts off im fucking bitter but anyway tylers just going to be v shy and cute okay!!

///

_**note:** i did orchestra in junior high and played (you guessed it) violin. i'm actually kind of excited for this fingers crossed it doesn't flop_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited. kind of went with the idea and kept writing.. this is kind of the backstory of how ty got into the violin!

 

tyler loves the violin.

he loves how his fingers move effortlessly on the strings. he loves the sound that comes out of the hollowed instrument. he loves the way he can get completely lost in the beautiful music he makes.

the violin is pretty much _everything_ to tyler, and he cherishes his instrument.

tyler first found the violin when he was 10 years old. his parents had encouraged him to pick up an instrument, mainly because music ran in the family: his mother was a cellist; his father a guitarist. his parents had taken him to a music store for his birthday, hoping he could find something he wanted to play. there were all sorts of instruments, and tyler tried out pretty much the whole store that day, from oboes to harps, and it kind of seemed like a lost cause, until the employee that was assisting them took tyler into the orchestral section of the store.

"would you be interested in trying any of these? we have violins and violas- those are similar, except the viola is pitched lower and we have some sizes that would be good for you. we also have cellos and basses on this side, beautiful instruments once you get the hang of them. they're a bit bulky and heavy, though. takes some getting used to.. i heard your mom said she's a cellist?" the employee, amanda, is smiling, gesturing at the rack of larger instruments.

tyler jumps at her voice, and stutters. "o-oh yeah.. she does. i-i grew up hearing her play. i like h-how it sounds.." he blushes and looks at his feet, embarrassed that he had zoned out. he had been eyeing the violins as soon as they had walked in.

"um, can i- could you.. can i see the violin p-please? i wanna try it.." he mumbles shyly, picking at a loose thread on his sweater sleeve. "and maybe the viola, too.."

the employee nods, grabbing a measuring tape from the wall. "sure thing! just need to measure your arm first to see what violin size we can start you on! just hold it out- like that, sweetie." she carefully measures out his arm and made a 'hmm' sound. "okay, i'm going to grab one now, and we'll test it out from there, okay?"

tyler nods silently, and turns to look at his parents who are out in the main part of the store. tyler's dad is messing around on a display guitar, and his mom is looking at music books. amanda returns with a violin and a viola in her hands. she sets down the latter and gestures for tyler to extend his left arm.

"so, i'm going to need you to hold your arm like this, and i'll place the violin right here on your shoulder. your chin is going to go right here- its called the chin rest! yes, good, just like that.." she's all over the place, adjusting tyler's arm, placing his fingers on the fingerboard. "keep your fingers right there.. i'm checking to see if your arm and fingers are proportional to this size."

tyler just stands there quietly, looking at the wooden instrument on his shoulder.

_it already felt so right._

"okay! i think it's a perfect fit. this viola should work out too, then. let me grab a bow, and i'll let you make some noise." she skips off to grab said bow, and returns, handing it to tyler. "just hold it for right now, technique will come later. you're just going to move it back and forth on this part right here, but not too hard- you'll make a gritty sound and ruin the hairs!"

tyler grips the bow handle tightly; it's heavier than he expected. he nervously runs it across the strings, and it faintly makes a sound. "a-am i doing it right?" he mumbles, running it across again. this time, it made a louder noise, and tyler smiled. he was doing it! sure, the violin was being held at an awkward angle and he was holding the bow in the wrong place, but..

amanda claps, "you're doing great. if you want to try something else, you can place some fingers on this general area right here, and play each string individually.. then you'll really be making some music." she shows tyler where to place his finger, and he's gliding the bow across the strings again. his fingers just seemed to _fit_ on those strings, the violin sitting like it _belonged_ on his shoulder.

he couldn't stop smiling.

"would you like to try the viola? it's essentially the same thing, but lower.. it looks like you've taken a liking to the violin though. what do you think? it's a match?" the assistant asks, holding up the viola. tyler shakes his head, beaming with a sudden rush of confidence.

"i think this is it.. it just.. i love it already! i'll go get my mom!" he hands off the violin, and speeds off to his mother, leaving the employee smiling to herself.

"mom! i picked it out! t-the violin." tyler's practically jumping up and down, maybe a little too excited, but hey, he's just found _his instrument._

his mother claps her hands, following tyler. "oh, honey! that's a beautiful instrument, i'm so happy you're excited.." tyler pushes the door into the orchestra room, going over to stand in front of the door to the backroom, waiting for his new violin. amanda comes out with a black case for his instrument, along with a bag full of something. she sets the case down on the counter of the register, opening it up to make sure the violin and bow are secured safely.

"okay, this is obviously the case, always make sure everything is secured tightly, and loosen your bow before storage." she closes back up the case, now taking out the items in the bag she was holding. "this is the rosin for your bow. you'll rub it against the bow hair to coat it. it helps with making the strings vibrate clearly. you'll want to do that before playing.." she shows him a little container with what looked like dried sap in it. tyler thought it was weird, but nodded anyways.

"this is also important. it's a shoulder rest that you snap onto your violin so your shoulder doesn't get sore. you can tighten and loosen the height of the little clip things here to adjust the height and stuff. i'm also going to throw in a tuner for free. for right now, i suggest you ask your mom to help you tune the strings, until you get the hang of it! you're all set! if you have any more questions or ever need supplies i'll be happy to help!"

tyler grins, grabbing the case and bag off of the counter. "thanks amanda! i'm excited to learn now! _**c'mon mom!!**_ i want to go home and start practicing!" he bolts to the door, violin case bouncing against his leg.

"bye tyler! good luck with everything!" amanda is laughing, shaking her head at the small boy.

"really, thank you so much. i don't think i've ever seen him this excited before." his mom waves at amanda, following her son out the door.

tyler couldn't wait to get home.

 

///

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooo hello this was lit its not edited (and prolly never will be whoops sorry not sorry) and im like 90% sure i switched from tenses??! please leave comments and ideas!! i'm excited for this so lets see how it goes!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tyler meets josh  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is in present time/now-ish.  
> not edited. the original ending to this was better but like it didn't save sooo i wanted to drink bleach! :)
> 
> also i'm so original i used brendon urie fight me. anyways, hope y'all enjoy this

* * *

 

by the time tyler reaches high school, he's already an experienced and devoted violinist.

currently, he's practicing a solo to record for music scholarships. he's the only one in the quiet orchestra room, which he's thankful for.

his fingers are moving gracefully on the strings, and he's hitting each note expertly. tyler goes through the songs a few times before he decides he's ready to record the video.he sets his phone on the stand next to sheet music (that he doesn't really need), and hits the record button. once he sees that the video is ready, he nervously smooths down his shirt and speaks to the camera.

"hi, i'm tyler joseph, i'm 17 years old and i will be playing a paganini's cantabile.. i'm excited to show you what i can do, thank you."

tyler manages a weak smile at the camera, and sets the violin on his shoulder, beginning to play.

the piece he chose wasn't difficult to play, tyler had been perfecting it for months, so he was confident in his abilities, but still nervous. he's getting into the music as he's playing, his eyes closing and body swaying a little as he expertly plays through the song. everything;s going great, and tyler feels his confidence rising as he nears the end of the solo, but just as he's moving his fingers to hit the next notes, the orchestra door is banging open, and tyler fumbles with his violin.

"HEY LOSERS!" a boy with messy red hair is crashing into the room, giggling.

tyler is furious.

"excuse me, could you please leave?" he snaps, dropping his violin to his side, glancing over to his phone that's still recording.

 _shit the video.._ he curses to himself quietly.

"i was kind of in the middle of something _reall_ y important, and i swear to god if you cost me this audition spot i will snap a cello over your head!" tyler raises his voice, bringing his gaze over the intruder.

"holy shit, um, sorry? i meant to go to the band hall.." the guy with the red hair scratches at the back of his neck, smirking at tyler.

tyler rolls his eyes at him, finally reaching over to stop the recording on his phone.

the video would have to wait for now.

"okay, but seriously, can you leave? there's no reason for you to be here. just go back to your stupid band hall." tyler glares at him, motioning to the door.

tyler immediately bites his lips, cursing himself for being rude. he's usually being pushed around, not speaking up. red hair only smirks again, walking up towards tyler, causing him to shrink back.

 _great_ , now he's getting shy.

"fiesty, huh? didn't think a cute guy like you had it in there.. my name's josh."

tyler's heart jumps to his throat and his breath hitches when josh says he's cute.

this is josh? the josh he's heard rumor after rumor about? you see, josh was notorious for messing around and having different guys- and girls (tyler learned he was bisexual) on his arm every week. sure, yeah, josh was attractive. josh was probably the hottest guy tyler had ever seen, but quite possibly the worst at the same time.

"i'm just going to go ahead and guess that you're tyler, the school's violin prodigy, right?"

josh is getting close to tyler- too close, and tyler can only force a stiff nod.

"y-yeah, that's me.. didn't know people knew me around here." tyler mumbles, his grip tightening on his violin.

josh only laughs, moving incredibly closer to tyler, who ends up backing into the wall, starting to shake.

"look at you gettng all shy now.. to think you were just telling me to leave.." josh murmurs, bringing his hand to cup tyler's cheek.

tyler's heart is pounding incredibly fast. so fast to the point he think's he's about to explode.

"d-don't touch m-me.." he stutters, and josh removes the hand on his cheek, and steps away from him.

"well, sweetheart, as much as i'd love to stay and chat, i've gotta go. i'll see you around, tyler." josh winks and tyler's breath catches in his throat.

tyler takes a deep breath and closes his eyes once he sees josh turn to leave, but suddenly josh is back in his face, running his thumb over tyler's bottom lip. he lets go of the violin in his grasp, shocked, and it hits the ground with a clunk that breaks tyler's heart. he pushes josh away from him, tears springing to his eyes.

"g-get out.." tyler squeaks out, fighting back the tears as he sees his beautiful instrument on the ground.

_please dont be broken pleasepleaseplease_

josh smirks and holds up his arms defensively. "later, _princess._ "

tyler glares at him, crouching down to cradle his violin. it had landed on the front when it fell, causing the bridge that held up the strings to collapse forwards. tyler tries to fix it, but he fails, and so he's sitting there with tears in his eyes, josh's laugh echoing out the door.

tyler joseph hated josh dun.

  ///

tyler's pushing the door the the music store open, a tinkling bell sound greeting him as he heads over to the repair section.

"tyler, hey! what brings you here today?" a familiar voice calls after him.

tyler turns and waves at his friend.

"hey, bren. its been a while!" he smiles, setting his violin down on the counter. "do you think you could fix this right now? i just need the bridge to be reset, i dropped the violin."

brendon raises an eyebrow at the last part, because it's unusual for tyler to drop his instrument. he treats it like it's his baby. tyler rolls his eyes, noticing his friends questioning look. 

"don't ask, okay? can you please just fix it? it's really important that it's fixed, like, right now.." tyler pleads, digging into his pocket to grab his phone that's buzzing.

 **unknown:** hey x

 **tyler:** who the hell are you?

 **unknown:** can't believe you already forgot about me baby ;( 

_of course it has to be josh._

tyler scoffs, and angrily types back a response.

 **tyler:** idk how you got my number but pls delete it

 **tyler:** leave me alone josh.

he shoves his phone back into his pocket, and looks back up, surprised to see that his violin is gone. he's standing there for a few minutes, ignoring the repeated buzzing from his pocket. brendon comes back with his violin, fixed, and tyler lets out a sigh of relief as it's put back into its case softly.

"thanks so much bren. i really have to get going!" tyler exclaims rushing out the door, barely hearing the 'text me dude!' that brendon is yelling after him. he jogs across the street to his car, and unlocks the door to climb in, unlocking his phone to see 5 messages from josh. tyler sighs, and saves josh's number under the name 'ignore'.

 **josh:** i got it from your english partner

 **josh:** said i needed it 'cause you're tutoring me

 **josh:** you looked good today xo

 **josh:** y'know i heard you playing that little guitar idk what its called

 **josh:** you're hot when you get angry ;)

tyler dropped his phone onto his lap and groaned. he'd had enough of josh today. probably even enough for a lifetime.

joshua dun was going to ruin his life. 

 **tyler:** fuck off josh. and it's called a violin asshole.

 **josh:** okay. 

tyler lets out a shaky breath and throws his phone into the cup holder, heading home.

  /// ///

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who sucks at endings! me!! okay but anyways this was like -15/10 and yeah i made joshs character like an asshole but whatever


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> YIKES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> umm hi again!  
> i'm so so so sorry this has been on break for like a month. the past 2 months have been crazy, but i am back now (hopefully). i was at disney, practice started back up, junior year of high school is here so its all crazy. again, i'm sorry but i should be here to stay now, with frequent-ish updates.   
> onto chapter three!  
> not edited. like at all. so its gross.

 

/// ///

tyler doesn't see josh around school for a while. he doesn't get any texts, either.

he had finally been able to send in the video to the scholarship committee, and he was anxiously waiting for an email to tell him bad news. tyler was always expecting the worst.

///

when tyler finally runs into josh again, he's at his locker, and there's a pretty girl with brown hair wrapped around him, practically drooling all over josh.

"joshie, _please_ ," the girl whines obnoxiously, pouting and batting her eyelashes.

tyler honestly wants to gag. her voice is too high pitched for his liking, and he could probably smell her perfume in the middle of a desert. tyler shrugs his backpack onto his shoulder, and rolls his eyes as he passes by josh, who is now making out with the girl, his hands all over her ass, causing her to giggle and moan.

 _classy_. get 'em pregnant in the middle of the hallway! you go, josh dun.

that girl would be single by the end of the week. tyler laughs to himself, and turns down the hall heading to his music class. he's in the top level orchestra, and is pretty much almost always first chair. not to brag, but tyler's, like, the best violin player at his school - probably even the best musician in the orchestra program, and he takes great pride in it. well, sometimes at least.

he hates when it's used against him, which is quite often, to be honest. he gets a lot of shit thrown at him. tyler is not exactly favored among his peers. he's the only one in the room when he arrives, so he takes that time alone to start tuning his violin.

"joseph! can i talk to you for a moment? in my office, please?" he's interrupted by his director's hand on his shoulder.

tyler sighs and stands up,  following his teacher to her small closet sized office.

"yes?" he yawns, picking at a loose string on his sweater sleeve. his teacher claps her hands and motions for him to close the door.

he does and sits down on the worn in couch thats in front her desk. tyler loves this couch. he's slept on it a couple times during his lunch breaks and before concert rehersals.

"did you send in the audition piece like we talked about? any news yet?" his teacher asks, organizing some stacked papers on her desk.

tyler nods, shifting his body to lay down on the couch. "yeah, i sent it in, like, 5 days ago. i haven't heard back yet, which kind of worries me.." his teacher only hums in response, still organizing her papers.

"if i don't hear back by tuesday should it be safe to assume i'm not getting anything, and try again later?" he asks, sitting up off of the couch when he hears the bell ring.

his teacher finally looks up at him and smiles softly.

"i'm sure you'll get an email back, tyler. but of course we can keep trying. just keep me updated okay?"

tyler nods silently, and walks out of her office, his teacher following after him. he sits back in his seat, noticing the class has filled up.

"okay class, some announcements.. the spring musical is coming up, and that means orchestra and band have the opportunity to play the music for the show! you guys know the drill, tryouts are on the 16th, i highly recommend everyone participate, please. you guys are in the top level, be an example for once!" his teacher is all smiles, ignoring the groans erupting throughout the class.

here's the thing about the orchestra program at tyler's school: most of the students don't care about the music they play, and are instead taking the class to keep the credits, which frustrates tyler, because hell, a lot of those kids have talent. he's pretty much the only one who devotes himself to his instrument, truly loving what he does.

a kid in the bass section scoffs, and mutters under his breath.

"we all know joseph's going to get all the lead roles, anyway. what's the point?"

tyler squirms in his seat, suddenly feeling all eyes on him. "t-that's not true, everyone h-has an equal opportunity, i'm not guaranteed anything.."

the bass player's buddies burst into loud laughter and some even go as far to mimic tyler's stutter.

"hey, that's enough! you three, my office, after class. this is unacceptable behavior, you guys aren't freshmen, stop acting like ones," his teacher scolds, glaring at the class.

tyler's clenching his fist, shaky breaths leaving his mouth. he wasn't even safe in the goddamn orchestra room, the place that made him feel most at home.

///

tyler's in a practice room after school again.  
this time he's playing one of his favorite pieces in an attempt to calm his nerves about the school musical auditions (which he was kind of discouraged about) and the email about his placement for the scholarships.

his fingers shakily move back and forth on the four strings, his bow pressing down a little too harshly. tyler's too stressed.

he sighs and sets his violin down in its case, holding his head in his hands.

 _calmdowncalmdowncalmdown_.

his chest is tight and he's starting to get dizzy. he needs to get out, now. his classmates words are running through his head, and he has the sudden urge to stomp all over his violin. tyler shoves his sheet music into his backpack harshly, choked out breaths escaping his throat. as he rushes out of the orchestra room, tears start to blur his eyes.

" _hey, princess_."

tyler feels his stomach drop.  
"f-fuck off, please.." his voice cracks, and tyler wants to sink into the ground.

"woah woah woah, hey, are you alright?" josh frowns, his voice immediately softening.  
tyler bites his lip forcefully, and nods his head, which ends up making him choke out more tears. "i-i'm fine, josh. please, just g-go away."

"shit.." josh curses under his breath and sighs. "look, i'm going to help you. but i need you to drop the attitude and please just listen to me."

tyler scoffs. "yeah right. like you'd want to help m-me. just the other day you were messing with me, a-and you're probably just going to tell e-everyone i was crying!"

"tyler. listen to me. i have anxiety and i know for a fact that you are not alright, so please just try calm down," josh pleads, crouching down to tyler who had sunk down against the wall.

tyler is still choking back sobs, his whole body shaking. josh tentatively takes tyler into his arms, running a hand through his hair. "breathe. what i like to do is i think of circles, and these circles all go in one direction, but they expand and then go little again.. but i also base my breathing off of that, it helps y'know.. the slow deep breaths thing. i don't know if it'll work for you, but, um, yeah.." josh mumbles, his hand still running through tyler's hair softly.

eventually, tyler's body stops shaking, and he's calmed down enough to the point where he's only hiccuping shakily. he's still wrapped up in josh, who had started to rock him back and forth slowly.

"j-josh.. thank you.. i'm sorry you had to see my like this.." tyler mumbles, pushing himself out of josh's grip. "but really, thank you.."

josh just nods silently, picking up tyler's backpack. "c'mon. i'll walk you to your car.."

tyler eyes josh cautiously as he leads him to the parking lot behind the school. there's so many things tyler wants to ask josh, like how he keeps his anxiety locked inside, how he acts the way he does, why he helped tyler instead of laughing at him like everyone else, but he figures its best to keep his mouth shut. the pair reach his car, and tyler unlocks the door, starting it up.

"well, uh, thanks again.." tyler mumbles awkwardly, taking his backpack from josh, who is smiling softly at him.

"don't worry about it. hope you feel better, ty and, uh- don't tell anyone about this, please." he says, turning away to his own car.

tyler is left sitting there gripping the steering wheel with shaky hands.

///

when tyler gets home, he finally gets texts from josh again.

 **josh** : hey  
**josh** : hope you're alright  
**josh** : your ass is cute y'know

tyler sighs and rolls his eyes. just like that, the 'sweet' josh he saw today was gone. tyler's not even surprised. 

 **tyler** : thank you, i'm aware  
**tyler** : also pls leave me alone if ur going to pull tht shit  
**josh** : baby don't be like that  
**tyler** : i'm blocking you

/// ///  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhaaa this was wild booy i'll edit this eventually but im just throwing this out here


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ..im back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. hey. that "break" took longer than expected, i'm really sorry. i've been itching to write, so here i am at 2am! hope this isn't too rusty, enjoy. tbh i think i kind of went like two directions in this sorry guys
> 
> unedited:)

=

 

/// ///

all tyler can do these days is check his email.  
constantly. tyler's an anxiety-ridden mess, focusing solely on the email he prayed would come.

it's been almost three weeks since he submitted his complete, distraction free audition piece. almost three weeks and no response, and tyler's beginning to feel sick.

it's been almost three weeks since the 'josh incident'. they hadn't spoken since then, something tyler was thankful for, even though a part of him ached for companionship from the red haired boy.

all tyler could do the past few weeks was bite his nails to a nub, and drag himself through the days, ignoring his parents worrying glances, who at this point knew tyler needed his space and all they could do was watch their son from afar and hope for the best as well.

it was tuesday of the third week when all of his worst fears came true. tyler skipped school that day and cried in his bed all afternoon.

 _dear mr. joseph,_  
_we are disappointed to inform you that you have not been selected for this year's national musician scholarship fair. however, we were very pleased and impressed with your submission. we wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors, and admire your talent. hope to see you next time._  
_sincerely,_  
_robert e. dawson_

_///_

a month goes by, and tyler's back in the orchestra practice room, this time with a harder piece that's sure to bring him success in his other auditions. tyler struggles for hours on end, trying to perfecting the piece, playing until his fingers have painful imprints and his bowing arm shaking. tyler holds his head in his hands and cries, oblivious to a certain red-haired boy's presence outside the door.

///

things are starting to look up for tyler, when he runs into josh again. this time he sees him at the local music store, to his disbelief.

"hello, welcome to johnson and sons, i'll be with you shor-- tyler! hey, man, what's up dude!" brendon excitedly shouts, waving at tyler who's waving back until he notices the customer with brendon had the unmistakable red curls of joshua dun, who looks up and smirks at him.

tyler hated his life.

"uhhh, yeah, hey man. you know what, actually? uh, now's not a good time?" tyler stammers out, scratching at the hair behind his ear. josh is still smirking at him and- _god damn_ , tyler wants to punch his ugly face.

brendon rolls his eyes and excuses himself from josh to walk towards tyler. "are you serious right now? cut the bullshit, joseph. what's going on?"

tyler pouts and bites his lip, peeking over brendon's shoulder to see josh, who is closely examining the store's selection of drum sticks.  
"nothing's wrong bren! i just remembered something i needed to do, t-that's all!" tyler says breathlessly.

"yeah, right," brendon scoffs, rolling his eyes, clearly unconvinced,"but whatever, what do you need man?" tyler's thankful his friend decided to drop the subject-- for now.

"i'm just looking for new strings and a bow, but i can do that myself. also, um, can you tell me what he's doing here? the red haired kid..?" he trails off, weakly motioning to josh with his hands. brendon smirks, and leans in close to tyler's ear.  "ahh, so this is what this is about, hmm?"

"no, not really- damn it, y-yes it is!" tyler blushes, sneaking another glance over at josh. josh is now spinning sticks between his fingers, strong hands squeezing them tightly. tyler wishes those hands were around his thro-

"i knew it! you can't lie to me, joseph." brendon replies with a smug look in his face, and tyler wants to punch him too. "but alright, he's here for a trumpet repair, but i guess now he's moved onto the drum section. do you know each other? did y'all fuck?" brendon waggles his eyebrows suggestively, and tyler smacks his arm.

"no, brendon, for your information _we did not_!" tyler exclaims, a blush rising in his cheeks. josh looks over at the outburst and that stupid smirk is back on his face.

"hey brendon, is it alright if i take these babies for a spin?" josh calls out to the boy, motioning to the drum room. brendon waves him off with his hand, turning his attention back to tyler.

"so then what's the big deal man? if y'all didn't fuck then why are you so pressed," brendon questions.

"he goes to my school and he has, like, the worst reputation ever, but he interrupted my audition one day and, uh, teased me i guess? anyways, then he runs into me during a breakdown and he was actually nice and helpful, so long story short he's hot as fuck but also the worst person ever." tyler sighs, watching josh through the drum room window.

josh gives each cymbal and drum experimental taps, and then he's off. tyler is shocked to see how gracefully his body moves on the kit, hands rapidly tapping out beats. josh is good.

tyler tears his eyes away from the red haired boy, mentally scolding himself for being attracted to the drummer.

"well, i think you should hop on his dick. he's daddy as fuck." brendon giggles, patting tyler on the shoulder. "speaking of auditions, how did you do? i've been waiting to hear back from you man!"

tyler bites his lip. "i didn't get accepted," he replies flatly, ignoring the look of pity on brendon's face.

"i'm so sor-" brendon begins, only to be cut off by tyler.

"it's fine, bren. i'm going to go get my strings now.." tyler offers a weak smile and one last glance towards the drum room, where josh is attacking the drums.

he shuffles over to the string section and quickly grabs his items. when he gets back to the register to check out, josh is exiting the drum room, his hair tousled with a slight sheen of sweat decorating his forehead.

tyler feels his dick twitch at the sight, and he wills the thoughts of josh's strong arms holding him down to go away.

"dude, these sticks are sweet!" josh's voice is raspy, and tyler swoons. he has to get out, _now_.

he frantically tosses the string packages down in front of brendon, and slides his credit card before he can even tell him a total. 

"bye, bren! thank you, see you later!"

and just like that, he's out the door and jumping into his car. just as tyler is about to pull out, there's a sharp knock on his window, causing him to jump out of shock. joshua is at his door, grinning, red curls falling into his face.

tyler groans and rolls down his window, silently praying to make it out alive.

"not so fast, _princess_. think you can leave without saying hi to me, baby?"

tyler is absolutely fucked.

/// ///

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha!! tylers starting to fall for josh   
> this is super short but i just wanted to get something posted!! ik ik this is kind of off from the plot but maybe thats just me being hard on myself. im finally getting ideas for this story again, this chapter was kind of wild but whatever. i was excitedz


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gahhhh i have an idea on where to take this.. anyway this one is a follow up to the previous chapter! :-)

 

/// /// 

 

tyler instantly regrets rolling his window down  the second he sees joshua's cocky expression.

"how are you, baby boy? nice running into you here," josh drawls out, resting his arms on tyler's car door.

"don't call me that.." tyler mumbles, fidgeting in his seat. "but seriously, what do you want, joshua? i have more important things to do, instead of wasting my time.."

josh pouts and dramatically clutches his heart. "aw, _honey_ , don't be like that. i just wanted to talk. i know you can't resist my good looks," he says with a wink.

tyler blushes under his gaze, hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. "sure, josh. keep telling yourself that."

josh laughs and brushes his fingers to tyler's chin, turning his head to meet his gaze. "hang out with me, tyler."

tyler nearly chokes on his spit. " _what_?!"

josh flashes that stupid signature smirk again, and bites his lip. that doesn't sit well with tyler, who fidgets even more in his seat now that his dick has made itself known again.

"i want to hang out with you."

"a-are you kidding me right now? look, joshua dun, i am not in the mood to be next week's fuck toy!" tyler raises his voice, and rolls his eyes.

"oh, angel.. who said anything about fucking?" josh grins, backing away from tyler's car.

tyler blushes, hard. he glances over at josh who's leaning against the car that is parked beside tyler, muscular arms crossed, and god, he wants those arms holding him down and touching him all over.

he groans and lets his head bang down on the steering wheel, accidentally setting off the horn, causing him to jump back up in shock.

of course he had to go ahead and get a stupid crush on a boy like joshua dun.

"is something wrong ty?" josh asks, sauntering back towards the window. tyler bites the inside of his cheek nervously.

"n-no, of course not."

"hang out with me tyler," josh repeats again. "i promise i won't bite. unless you're into that, yeah?"

"okay."

///

the drive to josh's house is, well, awkward. josh makes stupid comments every 5 minutes, and tyler is starting to become agitated.

he's gripping the steering wheel so tight his hands are starting to go numb and his back is getting sore from sitting up so straight. josh is flipping through the radio stations, making sounds of disapproval at almost every station he turns on.

"uh, i have cds if you want to look through those?" tyler clears his throat, peeking over at josh. tyler motions to the console where he keeps his cds, and josh mumbles a thanks and continues his search.

"oh, man.." josh laughs heartily after a few seconds of digging around, and pulls out a madonna cd. "if i didn't know you already, this would have confirmed that you're a total fucking bottom."

tyler chokes and yanks the cd out from joshua's grasp. "stop it! it's my sister's cd! i am not opposed to kicking you out of my car, joshua dun."

josh holds his hands up in defeat, grinning widely. "you didn't deny that you're a bottom though."

noticing tyler's discomfort, he teasingly places a hand on his thigh, smirking at the reaction he gets from tyler, whose face is getting redder.

"l-look, just tell me where to turn before i regret this whole thing even more than i already do," tyler grumbles, turning into josh's gated neighborhood. "you fucking live in here?"

josh nods. "passcode is 8291. punch that in then get to the end of this road and take a right, my house is the one with the yellow sports car in the front."

tyler rolls his eyes and follows the instructions, slowing to a stop in front of josh's home. "you didn't tell me you were this loaded."

josh shrugs mindlessly, stepping out of the car to get into the house. "there's a lot of things you don't know about me, tyler joseph."

///

the inside of josh's home is pissing tyler off even more. there's stupid chandeliers in every room and a pool to die for in the backyard, along with the fact that josh has the whole second floor to himself.

"i'm too afraid to touch anything in here, dude," tyler nervously follows josh into his room, expecting to see a room that could suit a millionaire, but he instead finds a surprisingly normal looking room.

tyler stands in the doorway of the room, shifting his weight awkwardly. tyler can see a bra on the floor by josh's dresser and he visibly cringes.

josh rolls his eyes and yanks him in by the wrist. "like i said earlier, i don't bite. come sit here," he says, patting the bed. "unless you'd rather sit on my lap. that can always be arranged. you tell me."

tyler stumbles over his own feet, a loud yelp escaping as he nearly falls over. josh giggles, actually fucking giggles, and tyler feels his heart soar even though he totally embarrassed himself and is ready to run away and never be seen again.

"um, no, t-the bed is fine. the bed is great!" there's no stopping the flush that rises in his cheeks anymore. he sits down on the bed uneasily, and josh flops down next to him, lazily turning the tv on. "wanna play video games? i have mario kart."

tyler relaxes at that suggestion, a grin appearing on his face. "hell yeah!! only if you're ready to get beat," he exclaims excitedly.

josh glares at him. "there's no way you're going to beat me, joseph. since you're so sure you're going to win, let's make a bet. 8 out of 10 games. if you lose, hmm.. how about i get a kiss?"

tyler bites his lip, and thinks before shrugging and extending his hand to shake on it. he wasn't expecting to lose anyway.

josh sets up the game and the boys pick their characters and the course. tyler wins the first couple of games, but then things turn in favor of josh. on the 8th game, they are neck to neck, both knocking each other to 1st and 2nd place. and then.. josh crosses the finish line first.

tyler pouts and throws his controller down on the floor. "you cheated!"

josh only rolls his eyes and bites his lip as he leans in to whisper in tyler's ear. "where's my kiss, princess?"

/// ///

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! this chapter is a little weird maybe but whatever lets just get into the children getting close why the fuck not anyways ill probably fix this later im postig this before my practice thanks and enjoyyyy


	7. not a chapter..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> once again, i am sorry

hey guys im really sorry for the long wait and know i've said over and over that i'll be back to regular updates but school comes first for me lately since i am trying to save my gpa and focus on my ap tests that are coming up, which is really important as i'm graduating next year and need to get all the credit i can now.. a good thing is that it will be over really really soon, so in the summer i will be back.

i'm terrible at managing schoolwork on top of self-care and my writing. i feel like i write this message every time i disappear and i feel so bad about that. 

another reason i've been absent is simply the lack of ideas. to be honest i have no real plot to this story and i'm really hard on myself when it comes to writing out chapters. i would really like to hear from you guys and see what you guys want to see in this story, cause a goal for me is to try to get feedback and incorporate it into my writing. i really hope that doesn't make me look like a terrible person, i just struggle with getting my thoughts in my head to form and i just have an urge to please everyone..

anyway i'm really really sorry to everyone who has been waiting. i promise i'm trying to get this plot sorted out). i'm not giving up on this fic anytime soon, even if i need a push in the right direction sometimes. its almost 2am now and i'm half asleep so i'm sorry if this message was a mess to understand, my sentences get a little wild sometimes. thank you to everyone who is still sticking around. i really love y'all .

\- a


	8. important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry

uh well hey?

i've come to the decision that i am most likely discontinuing this story. i've honestly drifted from the twenty one pilots fandom and from shipping joshler. i'm really sorry for anyone i'm letting down and disappointing. 

there's a small possibility that i will come back to this story once things start picking up for the clique again, but i most likely won't return to this.

i am TOTALLY okay if anyone wants to pick this story up from me and write their own continuation of it, i'd love to check it out if anyone decides to do that. 

again, i'm really sorry to have this bad news. i feel terrible for keeping you guys on hold for months promising to come back with new chapters.

i still love tyler and josh with all my heart, i just got into new things during this 'hiatus', and as you all know i felt very insecure with this story. i always felt a block of ideas and as if i wasn't writing to my full potential.

i'm very very thankful for all of you who supported me and commented sweet things, i appreciate it so so much. 

thank you guys.  
\- a


End file.
